Intermediate buffer for tender locomotives



Dec. 30, 1952 R. G. DA COSTA 2,623,646 INTERMEDIATE BUFFER FOR TENDER LOCOMOTIVES Filed Dec. 28, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR ATTORNEW Dec. 30, 1952 R. a. DA cosTA ,6 7

INTERMEDIATE BUFFER FOR TENDER LOCOMOTIVES I Filed Dec. 28, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS lugs which form an integral part of the tender drag box;

Figure 9 is the plan view of the wear liner on the lug shown in Figure 8; and

Figure 10 shows the end View of the bearing block on the engine which coacts with the Figure 5 buffer head.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, a manganese steel wear liner 2 is attached to the cast iron or steel buffer head I The buffer head is carried on guides I which form an integral part of the tender drag box casting. The guides l and the contact surfaces on the cast iron or steel buffer l are fitted with wear liner 6. The wear liners B of the guides l are made of a suitably selected material such as manganese steel or bronze. The radiused surface of the buffer head I is forced by means of springs of suitable strength 3 against a case hardened steel rubbing block 4 which is located on the engine drag box. The steel rubbing block is provided with lubrication grooves 5a and pipe connections 5 through which a suitable lubricating material can be applied so as to reduce the friction and wear on the contacting surfaces of the buffer head I and the rubbing block 4.

To remove the interdrawbar l it is necessary to relieve the spring load between the buffer head I and the rubbing block 4. This is arranged by means of four stud assemblies 9, each including a stud, a castellated nut and a cotter pin, the nuts being so located that the buffer head i has freedom of movements over the sharpest curve in the track. Whenever it is required to remove the drawbar pins, one of which is shown at II in Figure l, the cotter pins are removed and the castellated nuts are screwed down so as to compress the buffer springs 3, which action automatically relieves the load on the rubbing block 4 and the resultant tension in the interdrawbar H1. The drawbar pins can then be removed without any difliculty. When coupling up, the drawbar pins are first inserted and the castellated nuts of the assemblies 9 are screwed back so that there is adequate clearance for self-aligning of the head on the sharpest curve of the track and the cotter pins are inserted into the studs to prevent the castellated nuts of the assemblies 9 from altering their position under the action of locomotive vibration.

The cast iron or steel radiused buffer head I and the rubbing block 4 are designed to provide an ample bearing area to take the designed spring load, without causing excessive wear.

Additional lubrication points 8 are provided on the guides l in the tender front drag casting so as to reduce friction and minimize wear.

If reference is made to Figures to 10 inclusive, it will be appreciated that the construction there shown diifers from the arrangement of Figures l to 4 inclusive, primarily in the number and location of the springs which bias the buffer head on the tender toward the engine rubbing block.

In Figures 5 to 10 inclusive, the bufier head is designated by numeral 2| and the rubbing block by the numeral 24. The manganese steel wear liner on the radiused surface ofv the bufier head 2i is designated by numeral 22. Lubricants are supplied to the face of the rubbing block 24 through conduits 25 and internal channels 251), the latter terminating in ports 25a in the face of the rubbing block.

As is the case with the apparatus of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the buffer head 2| is carried on guides forming an integral part of the. tender drag box casting. These guides bear reference numeral 27 and are provided with wear liners 26, see Figure 8. Note also that the guides 2! are provided, with fittings 28 for the application of suitable lubricants thereto.

While in Figures 8 and 9 the details of the guides 2'! and the wear liners 26 are shown, it is to be understood that the guides T are fashioned in the same way and that in materials of construction and assembly the liners 6 and 26 are in correspondence.

A group of four nut, bolt and cotter pin assemblies 29 hold the buffer plate 2| to the tender drag box assembly. These assemblies correspond in structure and function to the assemblies 9 described in connection with Figures 1 to 4 in-- elusive. The springs 23, however, which appear in Figures 5 to 10 inclusive, are diiferent in number and arrangement from the springs 3 of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, for, in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, there are four springs 3 arranged symmetrically about the interdrawbar axis equal radial distances therefrom, while, in Figures 5 to 10 inclusive, there are only two springs 23, also symmetrically arranged and equidistant from the long axis of the interdrawbar, albeit differently positioned.

The following important constructional features of the present invention should becarefully borne in mind:

(1) The aperture through which the interdrawbar passes has to be sufficiently large to admit of the maximum inclination of the drawbar under the worst condition of engine and tender wear without fouling.

(2) It is necessary to determine the clearance 7 required between the buffer head I and the tender drag box casting to ensure that the buffer head aligns itself as a floating head without bearing on the drag box casting except at the two guides specially provided. 7

(3) The clearance between the tender guides and the buffer head has to be so designed as to give a negligible movement in the verticaldirection and a lateral play of not more than for effective guiding.

(4) Suificient clearance will have to be allowed between the studs and the stud holes provided in the buffer head to permit the self-alignment of the latter.

It may be noted that the wear liners on the buffer heads are shown as made of manganese steel by way of illustration only. They can be made of any hard wearing metal. Further, the materials of all surfaces in contact'and subject to wear are specially selected so as to minimize this wear.

Generally the invention provides for the eili- 'cient control of all shuttling forces and torque variations, requires a minimum of maintenance, and functions in a way that the effects of the forces are distributed over the total mass of the tender and the engine, reducing thereby the possibility of longitudinal vibrations to the very minimum.

While this invention has been described with regard to an engine and tender articulation, it is to be understood that it is equally acceptable for use with other articulated units.

What is claimed is:

A buffing assembly for the connection of articulated railway units comprising a rubbing block on one of said units, a drag sill on the other of said units, said drag sill, including integral lugs, a buffer head mounted on said lugs for free forward and backward movement but re stricted against movement in the vertical direction, a drawbar connecting said units, said buffer head and rubbing block having central apertures for the reception of the drawbar so that the buffer head and drawbar are concentric and the buffing surface of the buffer head is symmetrically distributed around the drawbar, a plurality of springs biasing said buffer head away from said drag sill and against said rubbing block, said springs being symmetrically arranged about the drawbar axis and means for the lubrication of the contact surfaces between the buffer head and the rubbing block so as to reduce lateral frictional forces and keep the Wear on the surfaces to a minimum, said means comprising lubricant-fed channels in said rubbing block opening to the contact surface of said block.

ROBERT GERSON DA COSTA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Seider Feb. 8, 1938 

